Scott Spaulding's relationship with Mayo Clinic in Florida started before he learned he had throat cancer. He'd been coming to the campus for liver issues and was impressed with the care he received.

"They were responsive, they were on time, they had so many resources available, including the latest technologies and equipment," Scott says. "It made an impression on me."

Still, when a spot on his neck — what he described as "a little BB under my skin" — led to a diagnosis of throat cancer, he initially went somewhere closer to his home in St. Marys, Georgia, for cancer treatment. About a year later, though, Scott's cancer came back, and his thoughts immediately turned to Mayo Clinic.

"I was already going to the Mayo Clinic, and I really liked it," he says."So I decided to talk to them about treating my cancer."

Because it was his "second time through with cancer," Scott wanted to make sure he did his homework. He met with the hospital where he was originally treated, another cancer center, and Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center to hear their plans for how they would attack his disease.

"I really wanted to be at the Mayo Clinic because I thought there would be a lot of value in having all of my issues treated in one place," he says. "But I also wanted to be really careful. Because I’m not a doctor, I needed someone to help me make these serious treatment decisions."

In Scott's opinion, Dr. Yujie Zhao, an oncologist at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center who specializes in head and neck cancer, presented the best case.

"She told me that because the cancer had spread from lymph nodes in my neck to lymph nodes in my chest, we should start with chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy first to treat my whole body and then do radiation therapy," he says, adding that Dr. Zhao explained it would be a multipronged attack on the cancer to kill cancer cells that had spread to other areas.

"Others proposed radiation therapy first," Scott says. "I wasn't sure which way to go, but Dr. Zhao did the best and most thorough job of explaining why we should approach it the way she proposed. So I told her, 'Let's get going.'"

"The outside recommendation for upfront radiation was based on the impression that the disease was a primary lung cancer," notes Dr. Zhao. "However, after a thorough workup, we confirmed that it was metastatic disease (or cancer that had spread) from the previous head and neck cancer, leading to a different treatment approach."

Comprehensive care for complex cases

Scott's throat cancer was challenging because it wasn't his only health condition, Dr. Zhao says. However, Mayo Clinic has the experience and expertise to navigate complex diagnoses.

"Head and neck cancer is a multidisciplinary disease," she says. "It requires working across specialties as a team to provide the care patients like Scott need."

After completing his treatments, Scott has been in remission from cancer for about a year. 

"So far, my cancer's all gone," he says. "You keep your fingers crossed, but you have to have a positive attitude about it."

Recently, Scott resumed some activities he enjoys, like golfing and fishing. 

"Going through cancer and treatment for cancer takes it out of you for quite a while," he says. "But it's better than the alternative, I'll tell you that."

The high point throughout the journey, Scott says, is how much help and support he has received from Mayo Clinic. 

"The resources you have available to you, the fact that they're all in one place is so helpful," he says. "I still have an issue with a chronic cough. A lot of times, you get scarring in your throat from radiation therapy. So they're trying to figure out whether it's nasal drainage getting trapped in my throat because of the scar tissue or allergies or sleep apnea. They're very thorough. They're evaluating everything. 

"They're also very honest. They'll say to me, 'Hey, you've got scarring in your throat. We may not be able to fix this 100%, but let's figure out what we can do to help it as much as possible.' I like that attitude."

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